Stars and Moon
by The-Napoleon-Of-Crime
Summary: Jemima is now making her way in the world, discovering fame and fortune, but is conflicted in her love life. Torn between three men, Jemima turns to her Aunt Bombalurina who in turn gives her niece an account of her love life over the years, the three men she has encountered and the life she chose.
1. Chapter 1

Title- Stars and Moon

Summary- Jemima is now making her way in the world, discovering fame and fortune, but is conflicted in her love life. Torn between three men, Jemima turns to her Aunt Bombalurina who in turn gives her niece an account of her love life over the years, the three men she has encountered and the life she chose.

Rating- T

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

AN/ The song I'm using is called Stars and Moon, go figure, from the musical Songs for a New World, which I'm going to admit right now I've never seen. I was given lyrics for the song for a show I'm doing and I simply got the idea for the fic whilst zoning out during practise.

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Chapter 1- A Soul to Guide Me

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"Not that I'm not flattered you want my opinion, sweetie, why aren't you asking your mother all of this?"

Bombalurina knew fine well she'd always been close to her niece, ever since Jemima was little she'd had a tight bond with the queen and had eventually relaxed into the role of aunt. She'd coached Jemima through boys, through her first stage audition and had even helped her niece grow into the wonderful dancer she was. But, Jemima was at an age now where perhaps she needed to be listening to Demeter. After all, Bombalurina couldn't say Demeter had done too badly for herself; a mate, two queenkits, a nice house, overall quite a pleasing little set up.

"I've already spoken to mum."

"And?"

Jemima smiled, turning on the couch so that she was properly facing her aunt. "She told me to follow my heart. She gave me the whole speech about father and her when they were my age."

"So why are you asking me? You don't think following your heart is the right choice?"

Bombalurina could just imagine the conversation between Jemima and her mother as she explained her current problem, but forced away a chuckle, reminding herself this wasn't such a time to be laughing. No doubt Demeter went into great detail telling Jemima how in love she was, still was, with Munkustrap and Bombalurina could just see Jemima's reaction to the whole story. It was hardly surprising Jemima had came to her aunt to speak about toms and the future of her love life.

Jemima sighed, glancing over at the clock, "It isn't that I don't wish to follow my heart. All three men are… well, perfect, in their own right. I believe I already know which tom I ought to pick one above the rest, I just want to be sure I'm making the right choice."

It was Bombalurina's turn to smile as she heard this, always pleased to hear her niece asking for her advice because Demeter hadn't given an answer Jemima found to be satisfactory. "Darling, why don't you tell me about these three men and I'll try to help ease your confusion."

Bombalurina knew she could have at least a good guess at who the three were, but wanted to allow Jemima to lead the conversation as much as possible without having words put in her mouth. Bombalurina really wanted to hear what Jemima thought of each tom, it was important Jemima understood her feelings herself, too, and speaking aloud would help put all feelings into the right place place.

Jemima thought for a moment, then as she stood up another small smile came to her lips.

"Mistoffelees," She said softly, moving over to stand by the window. "He's talented… so good looking. I know he will be able to give me everything I want out of life, he'll offer me security, a life of luxury and we'll never be short of money to do anything we want. He's been in the newspapers so many times this year, he has all of the press talking, announcing him as one to watch as apparently his celebrity is only going to grow higher."

"He wants me to go with him to a restaurant that is opening next Saturday, five star rating I hear… the restaurant is in Rome though, he said he'll fly us out, his pilot needs to earn his wage." To Rome! Mistoffelees wanted to take her to Rome on a first ever date. She'd had dates before but none so interesting, so romantic. Misto had always been quite a unique man, even from being young, so Jemima supposed she shouldn't be so surprised that he was so creative when it came to relationships.

Bombalurina, whilst still listening to the impressive description, couldn't help but think of a particular tom she knew, he floated through her mind for a minute or so, but his name faded once her niece moved onto telling her about the second tom in her life. Misto certainly sounded impressive, but Bombalurina wasn't going to be too quick to judge.

"Pouncival." Jemima gave a short pause, then lifted her head, staring up at the sky. "I haven't seen him since I was sixteen, we just drifted apart once I began my career. I saw him yesterday evening, he asked me to dinner with him… Just a nice little restaurant in town, I've been there a few times and the food truly is lovely. I said I'd think over it, call him this evening with my answer but I still don't know what to tell him."

"He's gotten tall aunt Bomba, tall and certainly handsome. I'd never really thought of him as anything more than a friend growing up, but now I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps I ought to give him a chance."

"But, when I asked him about his own career and he just shrugged, he said he was thinking about doing something in music but wasn't rushing to do… anything, really. How on earth can he give me a proper life if he doesn't even have a job? He's an amazing dancer and I think he has such potential, but he's just not driven… not like Misto is, anyway."

Another soft sigh escaped Jemima's lips as she thought about her final man, the man she remembered developing a crush on from being little. It wasn't surprising he was still to this day in their thoughts. Even though she was making a life for herself, a new life, he was still there to make her second guess all she thought she knew.

"Tumblebrutus."

She'd actually dated Tumblebrutus briefly as a teenager. Well, actually, they'd been a couple for a year and four months, he'd been her 'first' as it was, first everything when it came to relationships. But, she'd left the comfort of the junkyard at the eighteen and now, just seven years later here she was with her name in lights, new record companies just itching to sign her.

"He promised me that he loved me, that he'd give me the world, make me truly happy and he really did. He danced with me under the stars, kissed me in the rain and even stood up to my father when he insisted I shouldn't be thinking about boys when it came to developing a career. But I spoke to mum last week and apparently Tumble doesn't even live at the junkyard anymore, he's decided to travel, travel the world. Bought himself a car and he's just going to, well, wing it."

Bombalurina raised an eyebrow, but remained silent, just listening to her niece give her descriptions of the three toms causing her sleepless nights.

"Before Tumble left he gave my mum his phone number, told her that when she next saw me she had to give it to me and ask me to give him a call. He wants me to travel with him, go to Paris, New York, China, Greece… just give up all I've been working for and spend a couple of months truly living. Living with him… but with no money, no real future in his mind, I really don't understand what sort of life he thinks he could give me."

When she was sure Jemima had finished with her musings, the scarlet queen motioned for her niece to sit back on the couch beside her, now smiling at the look of pure confusion of Jemima's face. She remembered having the same expression when she had been torn between lovers, although she remembered having made a very quick and painless decision about each man she had encountered, she'd never been one to let a tom get too comfortable in her mind.

Bombalurina gave a small nod, suddenly more relieved than anything else that her niece had came to her for advice rather than just listening to Demeter. In such a situation with three toms all seemingly special, Jemima truly needed to understand what was important in life and Bombalurina had just the right experience to tell her.

"I want you to listen to me, Jem, just listen. I'm going to tell you about three individual experiences I've had, and I want you to listen closely to me because ultimately I think what I went through will help you decide on your future."

Bombalurina fell quiet after watching Jemima nod to show her agreement, turning her face away from Jemima to really remember the first experience she'd had.

"I was twenty at the time, your mother was still just dating your father and I was very much looking forward to my freedom, my life was only just starting. I wanted what any girl would want at that age," Bombalurina explained, "I didn't want to be tied down to anything that didn't scream excitement. I wanted money, a life in which I had everything I could ask for and I knew, even at such a young age, that in order to have my perfect life, I needed the perfect man to take care of me."

Rather than continuing to talk to her, Jemima was surprised when her aunt stood up and moved slowly to the window, then began to sing in a quiet voice, not at all using the confident pitch Jemima was so used to hearing.

"_I met a man without a dollar to his name,_

_Who had no traits of any value but his smile,_

_I met a man who had no yearn or claim to fame,_

_Who was content to let life pass him for a while,_

_And I was sure that all I ever wanted_

_Was a life like the movie stars led._

_And he kissed me right here, and he said…"_

_"I'll give you stars and the moon and a soul to guide you_

_And a promise I'll never go,_

_I'll give you hope to bring out all the life inside you_

_And the strength that will help you grow._

_I'll give you truth and a future that's twenty times better_

_Than any Hollywood plot…"_

Bombalurina turned her face away from looking out the window and looked directly at her niece, ensuring that Jemima was fully listening, although the song had captivated Jemima's whole attention.

"_And I thought, you know," _Bombalurina sang softly, but she wasn't smiling, not even slightly.

"_I'd rather have a yacht." _

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AN/

I don't plan for the fic to have many chapters, but in each chapter I'll have Bombalurina's experience with the man she's singing about in each verse, three men in total then a final chapter to show who Jemima chose to be with. So, during the next chapter we'll find out who the man was who promised Bombalurina Stars and the Moon and a Soul to Guide her, any clue as to who he could be?

Yep, everyone is human in this fic, yes, Bombalurina has aged a great deal and isn't the young, seductive queen we all know and love. I've never done anything involving Jemima before, either, so do bare with me.

- Napo.


	2. Truth And A Future

Title- Stars and Moon

Summary- Jemima is now making her way in the world, discovering fame and fortune, but is conflicted in her love life. Torn between three men, Jemima turns to her Aunt Bombalurina who in turn gives her niece an account of her love life over the years, the three men she has encountered and the life she chose.

Rating- T

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

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Chapter 2- Truth And A Future

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_"I'll give you stars and the moon and a soul to guide you_

_And a promise I'll never go,_

_I'll give you hope to bring out all the life inside you_

_And the strength that will help you grow._

_I'll give you truth and a future that's twenty times better_

_Than any Hollywood plot…"_

"Bomba, this is Mungojerrie."

The young woman smiled as the man sitting at the bar turned, greeting her with perhaps the calmest smile she had ever seen. His eyes lit up and his smile warmed his whole appearance, she took no notice of the rest of his body or the clothes he wore, the smile was enough.

"Nice to meet yer, love."

The man stuck out his hand, stepping away from his bar stool so that he was closer to the woman Rumpleteazer was introducing him to. His little sister had been telling him about Bombalurina for months, about how she was the talk of all of the residents at the Junkyard, yet he had never had the pleasure of meeting her.

Jerrie could immediately understand why Rumpleteazer had spoken so highly of Bombalurina, she was utterly breath taking. With his jeans and messy hair Jerrie was sure that Bombalurina wouldn't spend long talking to him, but by the end of the evening, he was certainly proved wrong.

Rumpleteazer quite quickly returned to a group of her friends, leaving Jerrie and Bombalurina to take a seat at a table close to the bar together after having talked for over an hour. Jerrie ordered another round of drinks and the two continued to enjoy the evening, Bombalurina could barely believe that this easy going young man was someone she hadn't gotten to know before. He seemed quite lovely and made her laugh, something not many could do.

The coming weeks were a whirlwind of total spontaneity, Bomba barely spent any time at her apartment, she spent all of her time at the flat Jerrie shared with his friend just outside of London. Sure, he was hardly the sort of man she had expected to fall for, but he certainly was something.

Upon their first meeting Mungojerrie had been totally straight with her. He had admitted that he had no career set up for him, he got by through pure luck and through a set of crafty connections. Jerrie was quite simply a thief, he stole things and sold them on and was reasonably good at it, he and Rumpleteazer had been working together since they were small, but Jerrie insisted that his life of crime didn't make for the best lifestyle.

He said that he was always getting into trouble, making friends with the wrong people and had no interest in switching his jeans and t-shirts for a sharp grey suit and stealing for a job in a bank.

But his smile was captivating. Every time they argued about his apparent step back when it came to life, Bombalurina always seem to lose herself to his smile. Jerrie had an air of ease about him that calmed her down, made her feel incredibly safe and loved, but when her big break came, he didn't seem to want to make any changes.

"Bombs, y'know Oi'm proud of yer. Oi just don't want to dress up in a monkey suit an' spend the night talkin' to a bunch of bigheaded snobs, that's all."

The play was her first real shot at fame and she had been in rehearsals for what seemed like forever. The theatre wasn't terribly large and the play was only set to run for five nights, but it was important to her and she felt it was important that Jerrie stick by her during all aspects of her blooming career.

The opening night of her play had also consisted of an after party with a lot of rather important people listed as guests.

As expected. Jerrie had been utterly charming throughout the evening, Bombalurina passed him off as a rather successful artist when he wasn't within earshot, and the night had gone without a hitch. He had dressed up in the nice suit and had tried his best to tone down the accent so he sounded a little less out of place

But once they had gotten back to Jerrie's apartment they both seemed to know what was to come.

"_I'll give you truth and a future that's twenty times better_

_Than any Hollywood plot…"_

"But that ain't good enough, is it love?"

"Jerrie, I..."

Ultimately, they ran in different circles and had to admit that they wanted different things in life. While Jerrie had been pleasant to her friends and employers at the party, Bombalurina could tell he hadn't been at all comfortable, not even whilst watching her performance. She didn't want to change him and he didn't wish to change her, Bombalurina knew he wanted her to be happy. It just so happened that their ideas of what happiness was wasn't quite the same.

Mungojerrie kissed her cheek and they both shared the same sad look as he stepped away from her. They both knew that what he was offering wasn't enough, regardless of how badly she had fallen for him, regardless of how badly she wanted it to be enough.

But without another word exchanged, Bombalurina left his flat and travelled back to the Junkyard in the middle of the night, telling herself every step of the way that it wouldn't be long until she got the Hollywood lifestyle she dreamed so desperately of.

* * *

"You just… left him, Aunt Bomba?" Jemima asked quietly, staring across at her Aunt.

Bombalurina continued gazing out of the window for a few moments, not really seeing anything in particular before she turned back to her niece and smiled softly.

"I never saw him again after that. I met with Rumpleteazer a couple of times afterwards but we hardly lasted as friends. I think your mother still sees him from time to time, but you would have to ask her about how things turned out for him."

Jemima couldn't help but feel that it was terribly sad that Bombalurina had left the man she had shared such wonderful times with, she could only imagine how hard it had been for Bombalurina to walk away and then second guess her decision.

"I thought you and Uncle were so happy all of these years... you two seemed so happy, I had no idea..."

"People change, sweetie. Desires change, feelings change. Nothing ever really lasts, so when you have all you really need you shouldn't be so quick to let it go."

Jemima said nothing, she stood up and crossed the room so that she stood in front of Bombalurina. She silently understood what her Aunt was telling her, but she wanted to hear about all three men before she made a decision about her own future.

She wondered why Demeter had never told her anything of Bombalurina's life, Jemima hadn't expected her Aunt to have such stories concerning love. Jemima knew her aunt had always been a flirt and had enjoyed a great deal of male attention over the years, but she had figured that her Uncle was the only man that Bombalurina had ever truly loved.

The young woman reached out and gently held her Aunt's hand as Bombalurina prepared the next story, completely taken in by Bombalurina's song.

"_I met a man who lived his life out on the road_

_Who left a wife and kids in Portland on a whim _

_I met a man whose fire and passion always showed _

_Who asked if I could spare a week to ride with him _

_But I was sure that all I ever wanted _

_Was a life that was scripted and planned _

_And he said, But you don't understand…"_

_"I'll give you stars and the moon and the open highway _

_And a river beneath your feet _

_I'll give you days full of dreams if you travel my way_

_And a summer you can't repeat._

_I'll give you nights full of passion and days of adventure,_

_No strings, just warm summer rain."_

Bombalurina idly squeezed Jemima's hand, then carefully let it go and glided back to sit on the couch.

It was quite hard for her to relive experiences she had tried to forget, but she wanted to help Jemima make the right decision and avoid the mistakes she had made. She had let fame cloud her life once before, so Bombalurina wanted Jemima to have a greater understanding of what was important.

"_And I thought, "You know, I'd rather have champagne."_

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AN/

I came back to this story after such a long time simply because I stumbled across the song once again and remembered just how much I liked it. I have came up with a whole new set of ideas and a whole new perspective of the men Bombalurina is speaking about.

Again, I'll point out that this is a story set as though the Cat's are human, just in case anyone missed the AN I wrote oh so long ago.

Anyhow, I hope you like the latest chapter and I'll certainly be finishing this story off soon so expect the next chapter shortly.

Thanks for reading!

- Napo.


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